1. Field of the Invention
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/361,298, filed on Jul. 2, 2010, and is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
The present invention relates to the stabilization of objects such as furniture, electronics and appliances. More particularly it relates to a securement system for preventing the toppling and/or migrating of objects such as file cabinets, furniture, electronic equipment and the like, should they become top heavy or unbalanced during use, climbed upon by children, or should they be subjected to the forces of a seismic event such as an earthquake.
2. Background of the Invention
Securing objects from toppling and from position-migration has, in recent years, become the subject of much attention and recommendation by government and industry officials with regard to emergency prevention and management. Studies have shown that people, especially children, can be severely injured by common household objects should they topple over. While residents of earthquake prone areas are aware of this and generally take steps to prevent toppling of large objects such as file cabinets, big screen televisions, dressers, and the like, this is not the case in areas of the country not prone to seismic events. However, such large and top heavy objects are just as easily toppled by mis-loading or mis-use as by an earthquake. A large bookcase or top heavy dresser falling on a child can cause significant injury or death. This easily occurs when upper drawers are opened on a dresser or file cabinet and then leaned upon or when children climb upon furniture during play.
In the case of earthquakes, the threat of toppling of furniture and expensive electronics is increased due to movement of floors in homes and offices. Should the furniture or appliance or other large object be top heavy from loading or from its basic design, seismic movements generated by an earthquake increase the risk of the object tipping over resulting in possible injury to occupants of the building. Further, even if large or expensive items and equipment do not topple during an earthquake, they are still prone to position-migration due to the floor surface movement during a seismic event. Such movement can cause other damage or cause items supported by a migrating piece of furniture to topple.
It is the realization that injury and death can result from tip-overs during use, and toppling and object migration during earthquakes, which have caused concerned people and businesses to undergo retrofits of property to secure objects and expensive items inside a building to enhance household and business seismic safety. Such securement may include the engagement of furniture, refrigerators, water heaters and breakables to the walls to prevent movement.
Numerous devices and methods have been introduced to the market in recent decades to address the dilemma of movement of objects and furniture. All such systems can be hard to install and are easily installed backwards where they may not function correctly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,149 (Gallien) teaches the use of a flexible cable engaged to mounts using removable pins. However, this patent is subject to the correct sizing of the length of the cable by the user and resulting problems should it be cut too long. Further, it is not particularly aesthetic and therefor is less likely to be employed by some home or business users.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,562 (Konkle) teaches a securement system which employs wall mounts and object mounts secured by a zip-tie or quick-tie device. However, Konkle by employing such a zip-tie, limits the engagement there to a single use whereafter another tie must be employed. Further, the mounts have edges that could be prone to cut the plastic tie during a sharp movement of the object and the plastic in the tie itself can be affected by sunlight over time.
Another teaching is that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,000 (Bennett) which secures objects to walls and the like using a flexible strap engageable with mounts. Bennett, however, employs a plastic strap which can be severely weakened by UV sunlight. Further, the mount engagements to the strap can be engaged backwards if the user is not paying attention.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved object securement device and system which will more effectively provide a means to secure large ungainly objects to maintain their position during seismic events as well as when they become top heavy. Such a device should be easily engaged to both the object and the support and be aesthetically pleasing to encourage use. Such a device should be easily understood and employed during installation by professional and household users alike, such that it cannot be installed backwards or improperly. Finally, such a device should employ both mounts and a securement between them, which will maintain its strength after exposure to sunlight, and is easily adjusted to a proper length to secure the object in question without expensive tools.